The Last Stand
by IxLovexGreen
Summary: There was a time when the land of OZ was in peace, that time is long gone. A tyrant has taken power and it's up to two witches to take the lead and free their country. CHAP 12 is up!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**If we'd own them we wouldn't write here, would we? Right!

**Summary: **There was a time when the land of OZ was in peace, that time is long gone. A tyrann has taken power and it's up to two witches to take the lead and free their country.

**A/N: **Okay so this is a story by me and Write For the Soul. We thought that Wicked needed an ending without Glinda being more or less broken ;) So we came up with this and we or I got a bit inspired by a story I read a while ago... at least some chapters of it. So if it's author reckons similarities with the plot at the beginning I hope you're okay with it (It's the whole Morrible thing at the beginning ;) ) So enough with this... back to the story

**The Last Stand**

Glinda lay on the ground and had her eyes closed. It wasn't really comfortable, but it was much better than anything she had for a couple of days now. Everything was better than mud and wet grass so she really appreciated the dry and flat stony ground. Slowly she opened her eyes which had adjusted to the semi darkness by now. Glinda let her eyes wander through the huge cave which gave so many people in Oz at least a roof over their head. And now she belonged to them and she didn't even care. She had lost the most important thing in her life a year ago anyway and it wasn't her money. A sigh escaped her throat.

"Are you all right, Glinda?" a voice somewhere in the cave asked.

The small and fragile woman nodded, because she didn't feel like talking, but then she remembered that Blair probably wasn't able to see her.

"I'm fine, Blair. As fine as I can be..." she added her voice barely a whisper.

Honestly she felt worse, much worse. But Horrible Morrible's return wasn't really the reason. Her grief had started over a year ago and was caused by Elphaba Thropp's death. Though for everyone else in Oz it was the death of the Wicked Witch of the West and everyone celebrated that day, she didn't. For her Elphaba was still her best friend and she still missed her more than anything else.

She sat herself up and stared into the fire before her. It was warm, but she shivered anyway. Then she felt something warm and soft against her arm.

"How are you, Miss Glinda? And don't give me your 'fine', because I know you're not."

Of course it was Lion. He had always been the caring type towards her. He and Boq had been with her after Elphie's death, but still both were no fans of her friend. Especially Boq hated her. Elphie had told her not to clear her name so she didn't. It was the last thing her best friend wanted her to do, or better not to do, and she was a person who kept her word. Glinda lent against the soft fur of Lion and her trembling started to get better.

"How do you think I'm feeling, Lion?" she asked back and tried to hold her tears back.

He put his paw on her back. "Not fine, I suppose, Miss Glinda. Not after what happened in the Emerald City. I can't believe she's actually back."

"Me neither, my friend. But she is. Though this isn't what troubles me, actually." Her voice sounded sad. She had lost her true brightness a while ago. The Lion looked more than surprised.

"What is it then, Miss Glinda?"

"It just Glinda now, Lion. I told you so many times by now. And you won't understand my grief." She saw his hurt look. "Not because you're an Animal, Lion. You should now better than that. It's just that you won't, can't understand it."

"Try me!" he smiled and his voice was calm.

"Oh, Lion." She actually smiled a bit. Lion was always able to make everyone smile. It didn't matter who or which situation. "I miss my best friend."

"And why do you think I wouldn't understand that? I do, Miss Glinda. I'd miss you, too, when you wouldn't be here."

"It's just Glinda, Lion." She really started to get a bit annoyed about his politeness. "And you would hate her. No, actually I know you do." She explained and saw Lion's confused look.

"So I know her? But I..." he couldn't finish his thought, because Glinda interrupted him.

"Yes, you do. But it doesn't matter, Lion. She died over a year ago. But I still miss her."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Glinda." He replayed and his answer seemed honest. "And I'm sure if she was your best friend she had been a good person. And I don't hate good persons."

The witch smiled sadly and nodded. "Yes, Lion. She was."

The last few days were only a blur in Glinda's head. Everything had happened so fast and was so unbelievable. Until a few days ago she has been the ruler of Oz and now she was on the run. Though all Ozians were probably told that her beloved Glinda was captured by activists who still fought for Animal Rights.

But truth be told she was the one who helped them, but the Wizard had done too much to undo everything instantly. But those were the ones who helped her now, at least that's what she thought.

She was running from Morrible who somehow had managed to bring the soldiers on her side and against Glinda. She hated the feeling to leave the Ozians behind, but when she wanted to survive and rule in the future she had to run now. That was the only way. Ironically she understood now why Elphie had to leave her though now it was too late to tell her that it had been all right.

She remembered how she had heard those demanding knocks against her door and when she had opened the door two guards had grabbed her. Just then she saw Madame Morrible standing in the door frame and grinning at her wickedly, because she was the Wicked Witch here and not Elphaba. Glinda had been too shocked to defend herself or say anything at all. She was just confused and starred at her former headmistress.

Glinda would be probably dead by now if it wasn't for Blair who had been her maid since the one of her incumbency in Oz. The woman had somehow managed to surprise the two guards who were bringing her the unnamed Gog knows where and to knock them out. She had help from Boq and Lion and then they ran off. As fast as they possibly could, but it was hard under the circumstances that she and her friends were now the most wanted in Oz.

Now she was in the middle of nowhere in a cave together with some other refugees. All she knew was that she was somewhere between the Emerald City and the Vinkus, but that was it. Not more, not less.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**_Thank you all for your lovely reviews! gives everyone a cookieAnd I had to add something in the summary as I forgot to mention that one character is going to die, but I hope you keep on reading though. ;)_

The fire that an hour ago had been sparkling with light and warmth was now hardly visible in the dark cave. Yet Glinda couldn't seem to move from her spot. Her arms were wrapped loosely around her knees and her eyes seemed to be locked at the sight before her, the ever fading flames.

Beside her she could hear the deep soothing breaths; Lion had fallen asleep a little while earlier after he had for the fifteenth time made sure she was indeed fine. To be honest it felt better to be alone. Sure she loved Lion and the others, in so many ways she owed them her life if not more. It was just that when she was sitting there, alone in a cave somewhere in the wilderness – she could finally hear her own thoughts. She couldn't help but ask herself if this was how Elphie had felt when she disappeared that one day in the Emerald city. Was this what it felt like just before you got your life together to do something big?

As the last light disappeared from the fire she slowly stood up. One look at the large Animal told her he was still sound asleep and so she didn't feel guilty as she let him. She walked past other Animals and humans, some were sleeping and some were talking among themselves. The rest just like she starred into space collecting their thoughts. Or maybe they didn't think, maybe they just tried to find a way back to themselves again? She sure could use a bit of that herself lately.

She stopped at the opening of the cave. Outside the sun was slowly rising, sheding its light over the bare landscape.

"What are you thinking about now Miss Glinda?"

She jumped as she heard his soft voice. He had obviously seen that as he placed a reassuring paw on her shoulder.

"I was just…" she didn't quite know how to explain what she didn't know. "…admiring the view."

"Are you feeling better now?" Lion asked as he took a seat on the rocky edge at the opening. It was just tall enough so he could swing his stubby legs back and forth over the ground as his front paws were in his laps, stroking his tail, a nervous habit he had done since he was just a cub.

"I guess" Glinda sighed as she took a seat next to him. "I just…sometimes I wish I wasn't alone in this."

"But you're not alone Miss Glinda" Lion turned his deep brown eyes at her. "You have me and everyone else."

"Do you remember that friend I told you about?" the blonde girl asked and he nodded. "Well I know she's gone…it's just that sometimes I wish she was here. Especially in times like these. She always knew what to do, you know?"

"Yes" she could spot a small smile underneath his golden fur. "I used to have a friend like that too. She always knew what to do no matter what happened."

"Why can't we be like that" another sigh escaped her lips.

"Maybe we don't need them" Lion suddenly spoke up again.

"How do you mean?"

"I just mean that maybe we could be them…" he could see that she was not following his train of thoughts. "We could do what they do. We can figure this out. What makes them better then us?"

"I don't know" Glinda didn't sound sure at all. "I was good in school; I was smart in that way. But this needs power, not just sorcery but personal power. I don't have neither of that and Elphie…she had both and so much more."

"You have power" Lion said. "You ruled, that means you have power. People listen to you, isn't that a kind of power too?" he added and even though he sounded sure the way he twisted his tail with his paws showed how insecure he actually was.

"I guess" Glinda agreed. "It's not enough though, we can't just go up there and talk to Madam Horrible…I mean Morrible."

"You can talk to people, you can turn them against her."

"No" Glinda suddenly jumped up on her feet again. "We're looking at this all wrong" she begun to pace up and down behind him, something that bugged the Lion as he was having trouble keeping track of her.

"Glinda please sit down, you're making me anxious" he said but she refused to stop.

"We need to figure this out" Glinda walked a few more times before she stopped. She looked out over the now lit up landscape before her but her eyes went beyond that. She starred out to the west, to where the mountains rose up once more. "What would Elphie do if she was here?" she asked, her voice quiet as if she spoke to herself and maybe in a way she was. After all she knew that green girl better then anyone didn't she? She if anyone should know how to get them out of this…because if she couldn't, who could?

- -

Liked it? Read and Review! ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**** Thank you for your reviews! You know, they really make us very happy ;) This chap is again Glinda centric yet there is some Elphie in it as it contains a flashback. And because of it Glinda realizes something that is very important hehe**

- -

She didn't want to think about the possibility that Elphie wouldn't know a way out. The green had always found a way. Now she thought about her friend she felt even more alone and again started to miss her. Her eyes hang at the mountains and she wished to see Elphaba up in the air on her broom.

Glinda never had quite understood why she and Elphaba became best friends in the end. Maybe it was true and Elphaba was her counterpart in some way like Ying and Yang or good and evil. Though Elphaba of course had been far from being evil. She was the most lovable person Glinda had ever met, because behind all her hard shell she really cared and this was more than anyone of her other so called friends had done.

She wanted to cry again but found herself too empty to shed more tears than she already had.

Lion eyed curiously at Glinda who seemed so lost in her thoughts that he didn't dare to call out her name. She looked so hurt and vulnerable he noticed. Maybe she needed company, but he wanted to ask her first. After all he didn't want to be a second Boq.

"Miss Glinda?" he called out, but she showed now reaction.

She didn't notice actually. In her mind she was back at Shiz together with her best friend. Though she wasn't her best friend back then, but it was after all a growing friendship. The night they both recognized that they needed each other in a way they did not think they'd ever do, was a terrible night. They both had been in the library. Yes, after she and Elphaba started to get along she actually found the way to it. They had been doing some research for an essay when loud thunder interrupted their comfortable working silence and made Glinda shriek. Elphaba had been looking up somewhat amused by the blonde's reaction, but her smile faded when she saw the terror in her friend's eyes.

"Are you afraid of thunderstorms, my sweet?" she asked gently totally un-Elphaba like.

"I always have been..." she responded still terrified. "I don't want to go out there, Elphie! I just can't." She added when she when she saw that they were done for today.

But somehow Elphaba had convinced her that they had to leave the library soon and now they were standing on the threshold out. The blonde clung to Elphaba as if her life depended on it, but when the green put an arm around her she felt safe. Maybe it was because Elphaba was always so strong and stubborn and somehow even protective when it came to Glinda. But still they ran and Elphaba guided Glinda through the darkness and the rain as fast as she could.

But anyway they had been soaked through and through when they had reached their room.

Now Glinda snapped back into reality.

"This can't be... I've been so stupid!" she nearly screamed out and scared Lion half to death with it so he hid behind the stone he had been sitting on.

"Miss Glinda! What's wrong?!" he screamed back still terrified and trembling.

"Oh, Lion, I've been so stupid! And stop trembling, dear, nothing happened!" she answered and Lion was more than surprised to see a smile on her face. Not that one she offered everyone who wanted to see it, but a real one.

"Please don't think I wouldn't be happy to see you smile, Miss Glinda, but why? Why do you smile?" he asked not trembling any more but now confused.

"I just realized something, my friend. Something very important I forgot because of my grief. But if I had realized it earlier there wouldn't have been any need for grief."

"Sorry Miss Glinda, but I'm still confused." Lion admitted and sat onto the stone again. Glinda moved towards him and still smiled. She took one of his paws and squeezed it.

"That's all right, my dear. But I just realized that my friend isn't dead. Or at least I hope so though I have to admit that it hurts." She explained herself.

"What hurts, Miss Glinda? When your friend is alive then..."

"Then she isn't telling me that she is, Lion, and I thought I would mean something to her. But at least there's the possibility that she's alive." Glinda interrupted him and sighed. She felt exhausted, because she hadn't slept in days, not really, but her new found hope gave her new strength.

Some meters away Blair was standing at the entrance of the cave and didn't know whether she should smile or not. It felt good to see Glinda with some hope again, but that she thought so bad of Elphaba didn't do any good. But how could she blame Glinda as she didn't know how much the green woman cared about her friend. In the end Elphaba was the only reason why Blair was here with Glinda in the first place.

- -

A/N: Liked it? Want more? Tell us and we'll update faster ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Okay, so this is finally Elphaba lol We felt like needing her now hehe And well.. all those Fiyeraba lovers out there... don't hate us ;) We know he isn't like that, but we needed it that way

- -

It was dark.

The only source of light came from the tiny torches along the cold stone walls. She knew that by pulling the drapes away from the windows would allow the sun in. Knowing that however didn't mean wanting to do it. So the room remained lit up only by the torches.  
She had gotten used to the dark during the last few years. It made staying in hiding just a tiny bit easier. Maybe that was because she didn't have to look out and be reminded of the world she so seldom got to visit anymore. Maybe she was scared that if she was reminded constantly she would want to go back out there…even if that meant more of the prosecution she had received out there.  
She leaned deeper over the large book in front of her. The words were doing the dancing thing again, jumping around to create new sentences, giving her a headache.

"Damn it, can't you just stay still for once" she sighed deeply and turned away. She took a few moments to light another candle on the table by the book to get more light so she could read. Then she turned back and to her delight the words had actually stopped moving, allowing her to read again.

"Why do you keep reading that thing Fay-fay?" Fiyero asked as he entered the small room.

"How else are we supposed to help everyone and defeat that horrible woman?" Elphaba answered his question with one of her own as she looked at him over the page before her.

"Why do we need to save them?" he moved over to the window and ripped the curtains away, leaving the room to bade in sunlight. "I'm pretty sure Glinda has things under control."

"Blair says she isn't really close to knowing what to do" the green woman answered, concern not only evident in her voice but also written all over her face. "She also said that Glinda is currently trying to come up with a plan together with a Lion…not a normal one even. He apparently has a reputation of being a real scary-cat."

"He is brave when he needs to be" Fiyero suddenly countered, his voice unusually fierce.

"Right…okay…" Elphaba said, clearly realizing she had hit a soar spot in her lover. Or well lover was a hard word…they were hardly even friends anymore. "I didn't know he was so dear to your heart" she rolled her eyes and focused back on her book.

"He's not…he was just…well he was with me when I met that girl and…"

"Oh please don't give me that Dorothy story again" Elphaba groaned. "One could think you miss her."

"Fine" Fiyero muttered but remained quiet as he pulled away the curtains on the other windows as well. "She was nice though…" he added quietly.

"She was a brat who stole shoes that didn't belong to her" Elphaba replied equally quite but she knew he heard her. "…and don't even get me started on that dog…"

"I think I will go get something to eat" Fiyero said as he walked by her. "Do you want anything?"

"No, just some peace and quiet."

Fiyero left the room without another word. That was what their lives had come to. They could start any conversation, on whatever happy subject they wanted – still they always ended back on bad ground. Either it was how Fiyero never liked how Elphaba trapped Dorothy in her chamber that one time…or it was about something else like how Elphie couldn't understand Fiyero's complete lack of compassion in what was happening in the Emerald city.

It had been quite some time since she downgraded him from the love of her life to someone who just lived in her castle. Or maybe she was living in his castle. It didn't matter though, no one of them could afford breaking it up. She couldn't trust him with keeping her secrets…and he…well she didn't know why but he obviously had a reason to stick around with her.

Once again she looked down at the book; she just now got a good chance to read the new spell. The words jumped around all the time, creating new spells or old ones. This one however she couldn't remember to have read before.

"This won't help me help Glinda" she pushed the book away from her until it slid off the table and hit the stone floor. She got up and begun pacing the room. "I need a plan to help her…but all I come up with requires me to be there with her. I'm dead to her – to the world. It needs to stay that way."

She stopped by one of the windows. On a nearly invisible string hung a small piece of glass and she couldn't keep herself from looking into it once more, if only just to catch a glimpse of the woman she still considered her best friend…

---

As I said before... more reviews and you get a faster update ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Okay... first of all I have to say that we have a beta reader now and we really needed one as neither me nor Em has English as our native language and I want to thank The Wolfinator for doing this job! gives cookies And thanks for the reviews.

She had just wanted to remain there for a second, but when she saw those blonde curls, Elphaba couldn't turn away. It had been a while since she had seen her friend. _Just one more minute_, she thought. She was prepared to see a woman all dressed up in pink with perfect make up, but Elphaba was amazed when this wasn't actually the case. She couldn't remember having ever seen Glinda without one of her precious dresses, but without said dresses, Glinda's beauty had not been diminished at all.

The green witch tried harder to concentrate on what she was seeing to get a clearer picture of her friend. When the picture finally became clear, she saw Glinda sitting on a large stone together with a Lion. She couldn't help but think that Glinda looked tired and exhausted; in Elphaba's opinion, the look did not suit her well. However, Glinda didn't seem to care.

Then, the Lion spoke. "You really miss her, don't you?" he asked.

"Who?" Glinda replied, not following his thoughts.

"Your friend, whose name you won't tell me, because you think I would hate her," he explained. The Lion looked at Glinda, who looked up herself.

"How _couldn't_ I miss her, Lion? After all she is..." Glinda stopped herself and corrected herself, "... she was my best friend. I wish I could see her face again... even just once more."

Lion put one of his paws on one of Glinda's small hands. "I never understood how someone like you could have had friends like those society girls. You really miss one of them so badly, Miss Glinda?"

Elphaba's heart ached as she watched this conversation unfold. She had hoped for a second that Glinda would be talking about her, although that would have hurt maybe even more than it did now. However, she still found herself disappointed that Glinda was not actually thinking about her. Then, Elphaba heard Glinda's sad laugh, and she concentrated on Glinda again.

"Oh, no, Lion. I was stupid at that time. I'm not talking about _those _girls. I'm talking about this one girl who understood me in a way no one else could. She changed me for good, Lion. But then she left me, and now I understand why. I understand why she had to go, but I can't tell her because it's too late now." Glinda paused. "I wish...I wish I could tell her that I'd willingly go with her now," Glinda finished. More accurately, she stopped talking because she couldn't speak further due to the new tears streaming down her face.

Lion didn't really understand what Glinda was talking about, but he let her finish anyway. "I don't know how I could hate her, Miss Glinda. She sounds perfect." To his surprise, Glinda laughed.

"Perfect? My Elphie? No, she is as far from being perfect as I am. She is different, but I love her for that. Unlike everyone else, she never expected me to be perfect." Glinda sighed and looked to the western sky. Her tears had stopped falling, but her face was still wet.

"I don't recognize that name. I _told_ you that I wouldn't know her."

"You don't know her by that name. That's why I used it, Lion. You know her under a name that I'll never use again."

Glinda closed her mouth to let the next six words stay unsaid. The Wicked Witch of the West.

Elphaba's vision blurred, not because she had lost her focus, but because her own tears were starting to fall. She really _had_ tried to suppress them, but she was just too touched and slightly hurt at the same time. She hadn't realized that it would be so hard for Glinda to move on and that Glinda would miss her so badly. However, Glinda seemed to have missed her as much as she missed the blonde. All Elphaba wanted was her best friend, but that was the one thing she could not get.

Now, she managed to pull away from the glass and return to her book. The green witch slowly picked it up and placed it softly onto the table again. When she had gotten the note from Blair that she had had to free Glinda from Morrible, who had returned to power, Elphaba had felt the strong urge to get onto her broom and fly to the Emerald City instantly. Still, she knew that she couldn't. She was supposed to be dead.

She couldn't think of a way to help Glinda without interfering, though. Maybe she should risk it? For Glinda? After all, she didn't enjoy new life. Actually, to be honest, she hated it. She had thought that she could work it out with Fiyero, but in actuality, it wasn't working out. Only the flying Monkeys were still loyally at her side, but they were nothing compared to Glinda.

Elphaba caught herself thinking about what would happen if she returned. Would Glinda talk to her? Would she hate her for pretending to be dead? She probably would, but at least there would be a chance for Glinda to return to the Emerald City safely. Elphaba was torn. After all, Fiyero was here. He was supposed to be dead himself, and if she left, who knows what he would do?

But she would risk it for the blonde anyway. She had to.

She was obviously getting soft. Somehow, she found that she didn't care. Elphaba sighed into the darkness when she heard Fiyero return. He probably would catch her crying, but again, she didn't care. By now, nothing really mattered to her. She had sent Blair to take care of Glinda, and she had, but now they were still stuck in a cave that was damp and cold.

"Fae?" She heard in his voice that he was surprised to see her crying and probably thought that he was the reason. She snorted. How selfish it was for him to think that. He wasn't the reason for everything.

She didn't react and just continued to cry.

"Fae? What's wrong?" he asked further as he approached her.

"Stop!" she called out when he was about to touch her. "Don't you dare touch me!" Her voice was cold as ice.

"Fae... I'm sorry..."

"This isn't about you!" she nearly screamed back. "Not everything is about you! And stop calling me Fae!" At the beginning, she really had loved this new nickname, but by now, she hated it. She missed being called Elphie by Glinda. She wanted to hear it again so badly.

---

Okay, that was chapter 5. I'd like to get your opinion about it in a review ;)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay another chapter and again credit goes to our beta The Wolfinator who does an awesome job here, really. Anyone who reviews will get a cookie ;) This is some more Elphaba centric stuff and kinda short, but we needed it. Enjoy

"Then, what is it about?" Fiyero asked. He made sure to keep his distance from her and her volatile temper, but he remained as close as possible so that she would know he was still there.

"You wouldn't understand." Elphaba walked across the room until she stopped by one of the windows. She looked out over the mountains, but her thoughts weren't clear anymore. It was as if some abstract object was clouding everything in her mind.

"Try me," Fiyero said. Elphaba remained quiet. "I can't fix it if I don't know what's wrong, you know."

"You can't fix this. Period." Elphaba walked across the room and grabbed the piece of glass hanging beside her. Her fingers spun it around a few times before she yanked it down from the thread. Holding it in her right hand, she walked back to her book, which she closed and picked up.

"So_what_ is your plan then?" Fiyero asked as he simply watched her collect her most precious belongings.

"I need to check on something," Elphaba replied as she walked past him and out of the room. She could feel and hear him follow her, but she did not show him that she knew.

The green witch made her way into the large room downstairs where one of her flying Monkeys had just walked into through one of the doors.

"I need an update," Elphaba immediately demanded. However, as she saw the shocked expression on the Monkey's face, she realized how harsh she had sounded. "I'm sorry," she quickly apologized. "I'm just a bit defensive today."

"That's okay," the Monkey said softly. He sat down in one of the fluffy armchairs and waited until Elphaba had taken the chair opposite his before he continued. "They are all very confused. No real plans are in the works. The Glinda girl seems strong, but too indecisive to come up with anything useful, I'm afraid."

"You don't think she can pull it off?" Elphaba asked.

The Monkey didn't answer right away, but the way his eyes avoided Elphaba's told her everything that she needed and didn't want to know.

Elphaba rose from her chair and walked over to the nearest window. "I have to go there. If I leave now, I can be there in just a few days."

"You can't travel by broom," the monkey said. He knew too that this had to be done. "No one can see you and know that you're alive until it can't be avoided any further."

Elphaba nodded. "We need the element of surprise." She could hardly believe she was actually going to do this. She was not only going to come out of her hiding, but she was also going to see Glinda again after all these years.

"Am I the only one seeing what a bad idea this is?" It was the first time Fiyero had spoken since Blair had arrived. He moved slowly into the room and stood where he could be seen by both of them.

Elphaba and her simian friend answered in unison. "Yes"

"Fae…"

"Don't Fae me," Elphaba snapped. "I need to help them. I would rather try and fail than stand by and know that I might have been able to help them make Oz a free world."

"Then I'm coming with you," Fiyero said firmly. He could see that Elphaba was about to say something. Probably something to make him realize how stupid he was acting. Therefore, he beat her to it. "I know it may sound stupid to you, but there is no way I am letting you do this alone."

"Fine," Elphaba said shortly.

She had placed her book inside one of her old messenger bags as well as the glass. She also added some food from the kitchen before she walked out. Outside, the light was slowly dying away, and the land fell into a thick darkness. It fit Elphaba and Fiyero perfectly.

"Be safe," the Monkey said as he gave Elphaba a quick hug. "Be sure to keep yourself from being seen, and remember, _no_ flying. They'll be waiting for you." He backed away slightly from the front door as Fiyero opened it.

"Don't worry." Elphaba smiled as she grabbed her broom. She wasn't planning on flying; she just needed to know it was there. Just in case she needed it at some point. "You know me. I always land on my feet," she added right before she turned and followed Fiyero into the night.

The Monkey remained there for a minute or two until he could no longer see them through the darkness. He then closed the front door and locked it.He knew that every possible route Elphaba and Fiyero could possibly take was full of spies these days.He just hoped that the green witch had enough sense to stay under the radar. That would be the only way she would make it to the cave without jinxing the little bit of luck she and Fiyero had managed to hold on to.

---

You know that reviews are love, right?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Okay, it took me a while to update, but here it is. And here is the already announced character death, just so you all know. And Em and I decided to turn this story into Gelphie Enjoy and reviews would be great! And of course thanks to Wolfie for beta-ing all of this! Thank you!

* * *

Elphaba and Fiyero walked in silence. They weren't even walking together. Instead, the green woman was always several meters ahead, because she wanted to get to the caves, and most of all, to Glinda as fast as possible. Although she knew that her friend wouldn't take her betrayal too well, she was still excited to see Glinda again. Despite her excitement, she was still careful to avoid being seen by other travellers or farmers who lived in various locations along their way.

It was getting into the early hours of the morning and Fiyero began to speak after several hours of blessed silence. "We need a place where we can sleep, Fae."

Elphaba mumbled something that sounded like "Don't call me Fae!" but then just nodded. She had no intention to start a conversation with him.She was still angry that he could be such an insensitive jerk at times.

Although she had agreed to search for a place to stay until night fell, Elphaba continued walking for quite a while until she just couldn't stand Fiyero's complaining any more. When she spotted a barn on the side the road, he stumbled in, feeling exhausted. It wasn't a surprise that he fell asleep nearly instantly when his body touched the straw.

However, Elphaba didn't feel tired at all for that matter.She just stared into the darkness of the barn and thought about her time at Shiz or tried to picture her blonde friend in one of her pink dresses. It had been quite a while since she had seen her friend in reality, but her picture of Glinda was still clear and very detailed.

That whole night, Elphaba never fell asleep, although her thoughts drifted as she thought of various topics: What she might say when she saw Glinda again. What she could do when she reached the caves. After all, she didn't really have a plan, did she? She had just decided to go, because there was no other way out. At least, that's what she kept telling herself. Although this was probably true, there was also another reason: the chance to see her friend again and to talk to her was just too tempting to ignore.

She and Fiyero hadn't spent long in the barn when the door opened again. Two torches lit the darkness of the barn. The people who carried them were hooded.

Elphaba didn't recognize them. Though had never fallen asleep. She was just lost in her own thoughts and tried to imagine what might happen when she met Glinda again. Would it be better than she expected it to be? Or worse?

Fiyero, on the other hand, did wake up and started to watch those men curiously. He soon noticed their evil grins and suppressed laughter. Although he couldn't hear what they said, something told him that they were about to set this barn on fire. He wouldn't be able to call to Elphaba, as that would have caught the others' attention, and he really didn't need that. There was an open window not far from where he currently was, but he couldn't leave without his Fae. True, they had mostly fought in the past weeks- months even- but he still stayed with her because he loved her in a way that she could never love him back.

Since he couldn't call for her, he carefully tiptoed towards her, trying to avoid making any sort of sound. He failed in this regard as he stepped onto a bowl that broke with a loud noise under his weight.

The cloaked figures turned to look at them and spotted them with surprise. By now, even Elphaba had snapped back into reality, too.

Then everything happened in the blink of an eye. She saw those touches thrown into their direction. The hooded figures hurried away, and she felt a hand grab her wrist and pull her to the open window, which still promised fresh air in the fast-growing fire. Everything went dark. All she knew was that she was probably dead.

When Elphaba awoke, she still felt the sunlight on her face and the damp grass against her fingers. She realized that she definitely wasn't dead. She opened her eyes slowly and sat up. She couldn't see Fiyero and wondered where he could be. Then, she saw the ruins of the barn in front of her. It had totally burnt down; nothing was left. Shocked, Elphaba stood up, remembering what had happened the night before. Her wrist still hurt where Fiyero had grabbed it.

She walked closer to the ruins and found Fiyero's hat under some pieces of woods, at least that what was left of it. Tears began to form in her eyes. He had rescued her and died himself. Still...there was one thing that confused her. She had been so far the barn that he must have carried her away himself. But why did he go back inside? A single tear escaped her eye when she found her answer.

The Grimmerie.

She had never given it to Glinda. Not because she didn't trust her. No, she just wanted her faked death to be perfect and that included giving up the book.

He must have realized that he had forgotten it inside the barn. Obviously, he had run back to get it out and had succeeded, but at a terrible price. He had to pay for it with his life.

Although Elphaba desperately wanted to cry and mourn the loss of her former friend and lover, she forced herself up and walked away from the barn, towards the caves. She turned around one more time to see the burnt barn. "Yero, my hero," she whispered into the air before she started walking again. There wasn't anything she could do now. She had to reach those caves.

For the next few days and nights, she barely slept as she continued her journey. At nights, she would use the roads to travel faster, but in daylight, she moved into the forests to avoid being seen.

After four days after Fiyero's death, Elphaba spotted the caves a few miles in front of her, and her heart grew a bit lighter .

It didn't take long for her to walk those few miles and to reach her final destination. It was earlier than she had actually planned. Luckily, the first person Elphaba ran into was Blair. They had met during Elphaba's time in hiding among the Animals and were good friends.

"Elphaba!?" the tall woman nearly screamed, but nobody had noticed. "You're already here? I expected you tomorrow."

"I know, Blair, but I had to hurry."

"Don't tell me you have insomnia again. Even you have to sleep, Elphaba. You're green, not a sleep walker."

"Blair, I just had to see..." Elphaba stopped herself as she was about to say that she had missed Glinda. She didn't want to say that Fiyero had died, but it had to be done. "Well, I wasn't alone when I left the castle. Fiyero came along, but he...he died in a fire. He saved me and the Grimmerie...but he could save himselfShe showed Blair the unharmed book.

"How are you? And how is...?" the green witch trailed off again.

"Glinda is all right, my dear, but she's been crying a lot lately. I told you that she never really recovered from your...you know. Your death? Now it's even worse, though. She's still trying to help, though, along with Lion and even Boq."

The dark-haired woman nodded and tried to hide her excitement of seeing Glinda again, but failed. "Can I see her?" she finally asked. Elphaba knew that she would not be able to do anything else until she had seen her friend at least one time.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Okay so here is another chapter that was betaed by Wolfie who made it readable lol Thank you again for that! Okay so all of those who actually read it... this is what you waited for, I guess... Elphaba and Glinda reunite finally...

* * *

"Are you not hungry, Glinda?" the Lion asked carefully. They were both sitting inside the large cave with some of the others. He was enjoying the little food they had while the woman was slowly nibbling on a piece of bread.

"I guess not." She sighed, broke off a bit of the bread, and placed it in her mouth. She looked away from her friend to try and get out of yet another conversation. However, she realized that it was not the best idea; by doing so, she could spot two women talking a few paces away from the cave. "I don't believe it."

"What?" the Lion asked.

"That witch!" Glinda was not one to swear and curse, but as she got up and stormed her way past the other people in the cave, she was muttering words that would not be appropriate for civil company. "Hey!" she called. The two women spun around. The green one broke into a smile while Blair looked shocked.

"Glinda-" Blair began feebly.

"Don't 'Glinda' me. What is _she_ doing here?" Glinda asked Blair without even looking at Elphaba.

"She came to help and-"

The blonde stopped only inches away from them. "So you knew she was alive then?" It was more of a statement then a question. Her hands were on her hips and her eyes showed nothing but anger and disappointment.

"Yes," Blair answered honestly.

"-and you didn't tell me," Glinda finished.

"I'm sorry-" Blair started, but Elphaba cut her off.

"It was my fault," the green woman said. "I made her keep it a secret. I couldn't have survived if people knew I was still alive."

"I would have kept your secret!" Glinda shot back. Blair took that time to sneak away unnoticed. She had a feeling this would not end well.

"I know you could have, but Fiyero wouldn't let me tell _anyone_! Including you," Elphaba replied. "He said we couldn't take any chances."

"Right," Glinda snorted. "So, how are you two, then? Did you have fun planning house all alone?"

"We were okay, but-"

"That's nice." Glinda turned around and started to walk back to the Lion and her food. Suddenly, eating felt more appealing, since it meant that she didn't have to speak to her best friend any longer. Former best friend.

"Glinda!" Elphaba had to hurry in order to get ahead of Glinda and cut the blonde off.

"What?!"

"Would you please talk to me?" Elphaba begged.

Glinda sighed deeply to show just how little she really wanted to be in that spot at that moment. "Fine. Talk."

"I missed you," Elphaba said with a hesitant smile.

"Yeah, I missed you too…but then again, you were _dead, _so it was more like I was _mourning_ you," Glinda replied, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"Glinda-"

"No! I am not going to stand here and listen to you excusing what you did," Glinda said. Her tone was angrier and got louder by every word. "I trusted you. I would have trusted you with my life, and you couldn't even tell me you were alive!"

Elphaba winced. "It was the hardest thing I've ever done."

"Well, how kind of you," Glinda replied. "I was having a blast here thinking that I'd never see you again. The fact that you had a hard time makes it _so_ much better." Glinda was so angry now that she was trembling and just allowed her emotions to flow. She snapped and lost her temper. Without actually thinking about what exactly she was doing, Glinda raised her hand and slapped her friend across the face. When her hand made contact with Elphaba's skin, however, she already regretted doing it.

The green witch was shocked for a moment or two and couldn't say anything, but then, she felt that she had deserved what she had just gotten. "Fiyero told me that I couldn't tell you," Elphaba said as she looked down at her feet. She silently cursed the tears which were threatening to fall from her eyes.

"Elphie?" Glinda suddenly softened and placed her hand on Elphaba's shoulder. "Don't cry. Why are you crying?"

"It's funny, really." Elphaba looked up and blinked the tears away to keep them from running down her face. "Fiyero was so sweet when he was with you, and he was even sweeter when we ran away together. Then, he just...changed. I stopped loving him a long time ago."

"What's so funny about that?" Glinda asked.

"I didn't love him…and yet, I can't stop crying because of his death." The green woman took a deep breath to stop crying, but it did little good as more tears fell. This time, however, Glinda's hand brushed against Elphaba's face to brush them off.

Now, it was Glinda's turn to be shocked. She hadn't expected Fiyero to be dead. She had actually expected him to show up right behind Elphaba, but now, he never would again. Slowly she raised her hand, and Elphaba flinched. Glinda felt sorry for slapping her friend. In the end, she was just glad she had her friend back. When her hand reached Elphaba's face, she wiped the tears away. "That's not funny at all," she said. "It's human."

**Liked it? Hated it? Somehting else? Do we get a review?**

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Okay, new chapter and it's some more Gelphie moments I'd say... I would consider this chapter pretty fluffy, but then that's what we love, right? ;) It's too much angst around here, though angst is good. So anyway... thanks to Wolfie who made this chapter readable... what would we be without you? ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

Elphaba couldn't help herself. She started crying again. All she wanted to do was hug her friend, but she didn't dare do it. She could only imagine how she had hurt Glinda by not telling her that she had been alive all these years.

The blonde slowly took Elphaba's hand in hers and slowly walked back to the huge stone she had been sitting on earlier. She sat down again and pulled the taller woman down along with her. "I'm sorry, Elphie," she managed to say after a few minutes. She still didn't know if they were all right, but she didn't let go of her friend's hand the whole time.

"I'm the one who has to be sorry, my sweet. Not you," Elphaba answered as she turned to face Glinda.

Glinda looked up and sadly shook her head. "I slapped you, Elphie. I shouldn't have," she said. Still, her heart had jumped when Elphaba had called her 'my sweet'. Glinda had longed to hear those words for a long time, seeing that only the green woman had ever called her that. She would never allow anyone else to call her by the nickname Elphaba had given her.

"Don't be," Elphaba replied dejectedly. "I deserve more then one. What I did to you was unforgivable, but believe me, I missed you. I can't even describe how much I missed you. You were the only one, besides Fiyero, who ever cared about me, and so I asked Blair to take care of you. Everyone told me you were safe, but I still wasn't sure. I guess I was right and-" Here she stopped for a moment to stop new tears from falling. "I just couldn't leave you alone any more, even though I was watching you sometimes from the castle. Once or twice when I was watching you, you were crying, and I desperately wanted to cry with you, but I couldn't. I knew I caused you pain, and-" She was cut off by Glinda.

"Shh, Elphie." Glinda smiled, and some tears were sparkling in her eyes. "I forgive you. For everything. Whatever you are sorry for, it doesn't matter, because I forgive you." Glinda put one arm around Elphaba's waist and moved closer to her friend. "You're back now, and what's more important, you were honest with me." She held her friend tighter just to check that she was real and not just part of one of her dreams which she so often had.

"Glinda-" Again, Elphaba had no idea what to say, but she realized that she didn't want to say anything. This moment was too perfect to ruin with words. She was reunited with her best friend, the sun was shining, and everything was wonderful. At least for a short while.

Then, the Lion decided that it was time for him to interfere, even though he was scared to death. The Wicked Witch of the West was back, _and _she was talking with Miss Glinda! He couldn't believe his own eyes. He stood up and walked towards his friend. "Back off, Witch!" he exclaimed when he reached them. He sounded anything but brave, though, for his voice was trembling. "What did you do to Miss Glinda?!" He suddenly realized that Glinda's arm was around the Witch's waist. "Ehh...what exactly is going on?" Now, he was scared _and_ confused.

"It's fine, Lion. Really, it is," she reassured him, sending him one of her smiles. "I'd like you to meet my best friend, Lion. And as I said, I knew you would hate her, but maybe I can change that."

"Wait! The Wicked Witch of the West is your best friend? You said your best friend's name was Elphie. How- I mean...this isn't possible at all-" The Lion fell silent.

"Don't call her that!" Glinda demanded. Elphaba gave her an appreciative smile. Glinda started to lecture the anxious Animal. "She has a name, you know: Elphaba Thropp. I call her Elphie, so I never actually lied to you, Lion. And you owe her an apology."

"For what?" He asked, staring at Glinda. He wasn't brave enough to talk to or look at Elphaba yet.

"Because she saved your life, Lion. She isn't responsible for your being a coward. If it wasn't for her, you would have died as a young cub!"

Now, the big Cat seemed speechless, and he even chanced a look at the green woman. She sat there calmly and had a small smile on her feature; she didn't look scary at all. He tried to remember what had happened when he was young, but all he was able to remember was a cage, someone carrying him away from all those people, and then a green hand which gently helped free him. His eyes widened in shock. "You! I remember!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh, you do?" Elphaba spoke up for the first time, sounding surprised.

"Yes- but...the Wicked Witch doesn't save lives she..."

"Don't call her that!" Glinda snapped.

"Sorry, Miss Glinda. What I mean is...how can you two be friends when you're," the Lion nodded towards Elphaba, "supposed to be evil?" He wasn't throwing around any accusations. He merely sounded confused.

Elphaba snorted. "_Everyone_ thinks I'm evil, Lion. Or Wicked."

"But she isn't, Lion," Glinda interjected. "You see, Elphie and I have been friends since our time together at Shiz. She doesn't have an evil bone in her body. She's as good as I am. She just wanted the best for Animals like you, even though the Wizard tried to suppress you all. He was the one who allowed Animals in cages, but Elphie rebelled and had to pay for it."

The Lion stayed silent for a few more moments and thought about everything he had just learned. Then, he turned to face Elphaba and looked her into her eyes. Glinda was right. He didn't see anything in them but caring and a hint of sadness. "I owe you an apology then, Miss Elphaba. Miss Glinda is right. I just knew what everyone else knew, but now that I know better, I'm glad to have met the Wicked Witch of the West-" Here, Glinda wanted to protest again, but Elphaba silenced her. "-and I'd be honoured if I could call her my friend." The Lion gave a slight bow as he finished.

Elphaba smiled, and Glinda was obviously touched by the Lion's words. "Thank you, my friend. You're braver than you think you are," Elphaba responded, meaning every word of it.

--

Did you like it? Even if you didn't we'd like to get a review. ;)


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Okay, so this is another chapter without much plot actually, but some more Gelphie time I'd say. And we're sorry for the delay by the way ;) Some feedback would be awesome! Enjoy!

* * *

Lion didn't know Lions could blush, but the green witch's words made his puffy cheeks burn as if they were on fire.

"I-" His tongue was twisting oddly in his mouth, but he was a Lion; he should be able to speak. No Witch should be able to make him feel like a cub again. "I…I think you're brave too," he finally got out.

"Thank you, Lion." Elphaba smiled and nodded her head, giving him a cue to leave. He quickly did just that, leaving the two witches alone.

"Sorry about that," Glinda apologized. "I actually thought he had some kind of a brain underneath all that fur." She didn't really mean what she was saying, but right now she couldn't stop herself.

"I think he's sweet," Elphaba said with a smile. "Plus, I kind of deserved a big yelling-at. I haven't had one in ages."

"You enjoy when a Lion yells at you?" The blond quirked an eyebrow in curiosity. "Did you happen to hit your head or something on your way here?" Her hand went to the back of her friend's head to check for bumps.

"No." Elphaba laughed. The amount of time which had passed since she had truly laughed suddenly hit her…it had been with Glinda. It was always Glinda who made her laugh. Always had – always would be.

"Maybe you inhaled too much smoke," Glinda continued, but Elphaba pushed her friend away ever so slightly.

"I'm fine. I just meant that I missed being around Animals. Even if they yell at me, at least it's better than being stuck alone in a castle with no one but a scarecrow to talk to."

"True." Glinda nodded slowly. "So…" she continued, not quite sure how to proceed.

"So…what?" Elphaba asked.

"You don't happen to have a plan, do you?" Glinda looked at her friend. "Anything would work, really. You just need to beat Lion's plan, which involves hiding in a very big hole." She rolled her eyes.

"What about a very, _very_ big hole?" the green woman joked.

"I'm serious, Elphie."

"Okay." Elphaba sighed. "Fiyero saved the Grimmerie. Maybe there is something in there that could help us."

"_That_ book?" Glinda sounded very insecure as she spoke, and Elphaba clearly picked up on that.

"You don't think we should use it?"

"It's just…" Glinda tried to find the right words. "Is that really safe?"

"It's pretty safe," Elphaba answered.

"Pretty safe?" Glinda couldn't hold back her laugh. "Don't you remember the whole disaster with Fiyero and Boq?"

"Those were two specific cases." Elphaba brushed off her friend's concerns. "I did much good with it, too."

"Name one thing," the blond witch challenged her friend. A smile formed on her face as Elphaba remained quiet. "I am just asking for one thing, you know."

"I…well, there wasn't much going on at that castle," Elphaba snapped. "I'm pretty sure the Grimmerie can help us, though. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? We steal Madam Morrible's heart?"

"Well, that would be hard, since she doesn't have one," Glinda said. The two broke into laughter.

"If we're lucky, maybe we'll turn her into something else…like a tree," Elphaba added in between fits of laughter.

"Then, we could chop her down and set her on fire!" Glinda inserted, which made them laugh even harder.

It took them several minutes to calm down again, but once the laughter had faded, the seriousness of the situation sank down upon them again.

"We should try the Grimmerie," Glinda suddenly said to Elphaba's surprise.

"Are you sure?"

"It's not like we have another option," Glinda answered. "We need to stop Morrible. If that means we use the Grimmerie and fight dirty, then that's what we should do."

"It's going to take a lot to defeat her, you know," Elphaba said carefully. Although she was hoping that Glinda would say that it did not matter, she also feared that her friend wasn't ready to risk everything to defeat Morrible.

"I know," Glinda replied quietly. She looked down at her hands in her lap.

"We can do it, though." Elphaba reached out and placed her green hands over her friend's pale ones.

Glinda looked up at her. "Are you sure about that?"

"No." Elphaba couldn't lie, and she saw the disappointment in Glinda's eyes. "But I hope we can do it. Together, we can do it. You just need to believe in us."

Glinda looked at the hands in her lap, and then raised her eyes to meet Elphaba's. She could see the trust in them. Behind all the sorrow and pain, she saw the same old Elphaba she knew and loved.

"I do believe," she whispered quietly, and a smile grew on her face to mirror the one Elphaba carried on her own face.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Some more Gelphie, but Boq and Lion, too! ;) I hope you enjoy! Sorry for the delay! Thanks for your reviews!

* * *

Elphaba and Glinda didn't know how long they continued to sit there in comfortable silence, as they had lost all sense of time while holding each other. There was so much to say, and yet, none of them dared or wished to speak; each was content to have the other one back. Elphaba had wrapped her arm protectively around the smaller woman's body to hold her close.

Glinda still couldn't believe that Elphaba was alive and here. It still felt like one of her dreams that she used to have so often. But this felt different. It felt, well..._real_, she supposed. At some point, she decided to break the silence. "Elphie?" she asked, keeping her voice to a whisper.

Glinda had called Elphaba by her nickname before that day, but now was the first time she realized just how much she had missed it and wasn't able to answer. She just held Glinda closer, if even possible, to show her she had heard the blonde.

"Are you're okay, Elphie?" Glinda asked when she noticed the tears in her friend's eyes

The green witch nodded and tried to blink her tears away. "I'm fine, my dear," she said softly.

"Then why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying, my pretty," Elphaba lied.

"Yes, you are!" Glinda responded stubbornly and lifted her hand to wipe away the one tear that had made its way down Elphaba's cheek, but she was stopped by a loud scream.

"Don't touch her, Miss Glinda! You don't know what could happen! You see what she did to me?!" the Tin Man yelled while running towards the two women. When he was close enough to see that Elphaba had her arms around Glinda's body, he started to scream again. "Let go of her, Witch!"

Both women turned to see Boq running in their direction. Both had shocked faces. However, to Elphaba's surprise, Glinda's features became angry. "You know her name, Boq! Use it!" She sounded angry and somewhat hurt.

Boq, though, got no chance to answer. The Lion hit him on his iron head. "Shut up, you dumb head!" he snapped, even angrier than Glinda as he moved his body between Boq and the two girls. "I'm sorry Misses Elphaba and Glinda. I told him to stay where he was, but he wouldn't listen to me," the Lion now said apologetically to Elphaba and Glinda, sounding more like himself.

"She's got you under a spell too?! Get out of my way, Lion!"

"No! You have no idea what you're doing, you fool! I'll stay right where I am!" answered a very determined Lion.

Elphaba looked at him, amazed and proud at the same time. "Fiyero was right, Lion, you know," she said quietly. She didn't expect the Lion to hear her, but he did and turned around to face her.

"He was right about what, Miss Elphaba?" the Lion asked, confusion making him forget his anger for Boq being such a jerk.

"He said you'd be brave when you had to be, and you just proved that, my friend." She replied honestly and gave him a soft smile. "Thank you."

Lion was sure he blushed again when he heard those sweet words. "No, I have to thank you." He bowed slightly and turned his attention back to the now totally speechless Boq. "I'll kick you back into the cave if you don't move. Now!" he added, and he actually saw the Tin Man flinch. He gave Elphaba a death glare, but obeyed and moved back into the cave. He would have his chance to deal with the Witch eventually.

Now, Glinda was the one who pulled Elphaba into a warm embrace. "Now tell me why you were crying," she whispered into her friend's ear, making sure to ignore what Boq had just done. She felt like kicking his iron ass right now, but Elphaba was more important than her desire for revenge.

"I didn't..."

"Elphie..." Glinda demanded softly. She made it clear that she wouldn't drop the topic.

The green girl swallowed hard and tried to find the right words without sounding too touched and emotional. "I haven't heard that name- Elphie- for so long, and now, I can hear you saying it again. I know I have you back and that's what I've wanted the whole time," she answered truthfully, kissing Glinda's forehead.

"But it...I'm-" Glinda stuttered, but pulled herself together. "I though that Fiyero would have used it."

Elphaba shook her head. "I didn't allow him to. You were and are the only one who is allowed to call me Elphie, my sweet."

It was Glinda's turn to have watery eyes, but she made no attempt to hide her tears. Instead of saying something, she just leaned her body against Elphaba's, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the warm feeling on and against her skin.

--

Some Feedback? You'll get cookies!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Okay, no Elphaba or Glinda in this chapter... one of our surprises actually...lol Dunno if you will like it, but we hope you will. Enjoy! Thanks to Wolfie for betaing this!

* * *

The young woman landed on the hard floor with a thud. All she could utter was a guttural groan before she slowly opened her eyes again. It didn't do much good, though, as the space around her was dim. The dust in her eyes didn't help either.

"Are you okay?"

She flinched as she heard the voice, and with what felt like all the power she possessed, she lifted her head from the ground.

"Who's there?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady, although her body was still trembling from the day's experiences.

The person moved out of the shadows and sat down at her side. A small candle was cradled between her hands. "Pfannee?" she said carefully. "Is that really you?"

"How do you know my name?" She raised her head a bit more to get a better look. The girl who was sitting next to her had long hair that she guessed had once been blonde. Now, it was dirty and not well-mannered. What struck her, though were the girl's eyes- those deep, sorrow-filled eyes.

"ShenShen." Pfannee broke into a small smile as she pulled herself completely off the floor.

"How did you end up here?" ShenShen set the candle down between them so she could gave her old friend a quick hug.

"It's a long story." The other girl sighed and twisted her hands in her lap. There were still marks around her wrist from where the handcuffs had been. "What about you? I haven't seen you since…" Her voice faded to give herself some time to think out the end.

"Shiz," ShenShen answered. "I went to the Emerald City to work, and there, I got involved in an organization against the Wizard. Well, the rest is history."

"How long have you been here?" Pfannee asked carefully.

"I've lost count of the days here," ShenShen answered. She turned and looked out through the barred door into the corridor outside. Once she made sure no one was out there, she continued. "I was part of a group that planned to take out Morrible. We truly thought things would be better." She fell silent for a second. "We never expected Morrible would find out."

"No one did." Pfannee sighed deeply.

"So what happened after Morrible took power?" ShenShen asked, moving closer to her friend. "We don't get much news down here." She looked around the small dungeon, where only a few other people and Animals were sleeping around them.

"She started by demanding that all Animals should be captured. Then, she continued to hunt down dissenters. Anyone who didn't share her opinions were targets," Pfannee explained. "Even Miss Glinda was captured, from what I heard."

"Really?" ShenShen said sadly. "I really thought she would have been able to do something. You know, maybe she would have learned something from that roommate of hers."

"You mean the Witch?" Pfannee clarified. Her friend nodded. "Too bad she's dead." She saw the shocked look on the woman's face. "Well, it's not like I ever liked her or anything, but she could have done something. She _was _a Witch after all."

"True." ShenShen nodded.

"So what will happen now?" Pfannee asked, looking around the small space. "Have you tried to get out? To make a run for it?"

"One man did." ShenShen's face turned serious. "He only got a few feet outside the dungeon before they caught him and killed him. No one tried after that."

"So we're just supposed to sit around here until Morrible dies of old age?" Pfannee exclaimed angrily. "Those people put me in jail! They captured me for having an opinion. There is no way I will just sit around and let them ruin what little is left of our world." She stood up and walked over to the bars that separated her from her freedom.

"What do you suggest?" ShenShen approached her from behind, her voice filled with a mix of fear and anticipation.

"I-" Pfannee thought for a second. "I think I have a plan."

* * *

Some feedback would be love!


End file.
